Class Notes: 6th September 2009

7th September 2009

(Week 1 Notes | Week 2 Notes | Week 3 Notes | Week 4 Notes )

Introduction

As an introductory exercise, we started off with the followers' hands on the leaders' shoulders, in practice hold, and working on:

  • Transferring weight from one foot to the other (leading and following).
  • Lowering and lifting.
  • Leading a sidestep.

The essential point of this exercise is to get the followers used to listening, and the leaders used to leading, on a continuous basis.

We then walked around the room to music.

(The main practice tracks played throughout the class were by Gotan Project, from the album "La Revancha del Tango")

Connecting with your partner

I talked throughout the class about the importance of connection. Some of the key points:

  • Connect with your partner at all times.
  • If you lose connection, stop and re-establish it.
  • There's no rush. Take time at the start of the dance to connect. Take time during the dance to connect.

Some other points to remember:

  • Relax whilst you dance; if you don't, your partner will feel it
  • Confidence: Leaders, don't be gentlemen, be clear and definite about what you want. Leaders must continuously project a sure and confident lead.
  • Trust: Similarly, followers must coninuously follow the lead, and must trust the leader, and their own instincts.

Sidesteps ("balanceo")

You can use the side step to navigate around obstacles, and to launch into other steps such as ochos. and giros.

Key points:

  • Lower yourself slightly before leading a sidestep - that's one of the differences between leading a change of weight and a side step.
  • Keep the feet together - for both leaders and followers.

Walking

We covered how to lead a forward step (and how to follow a back step for the followers).

I talked about how each step is led. For each step, the sequence is:

  1. Leader initiates the lead (chest movement)
  2. Follower starts to move her free leg back, based on the lead
  3. Leader starts to step into the gap created by the follower moving her leg back; follower transfers her weight to her back leg.

The key thing for leaders to avoid is to step before the follower - leading with the foot. Don't do this. Lead from the chest - project first with your chest, and wait for the follower to move her feet back before you start to step forward.

Similarly, followers should not take their cue from the leader's feet movement, but from the leader's chest.

Other points:

  • Take your time with walking, you don't need to step on each beat. Good steps are better than on-time steps.
  • Ensure you walk in a straight line - no diagonal steps.
  • Leaders: when walking forward, place your forward foot at the inside of the follower's forward foot - especially important with the left foot, as otherwise there's a tendency to place the foot on the outside of the follower's fowards foot.

More

Rocksteps

You can use the rock-step to navigate around corners, to pause in the dance, and to decorate / vary the steps.

Like a normal step, it's done either forwards or backwards. And like a normal step, any rotation should only happen after taking the step - so don't step diagonally or to the side.

The forwards-and-back rock-step is similar to the side-to-side transfer of weight used to establish connection at the start of the dance.

Tips:

  • Still walking forwards and back, just smaller
  • Rotate at the end points, not whilst walking
  • Keep rotation angles small.

The Hold ("Embrace")

We covered close embrace, open embrace, and moving from one to the other.

Open embrace

Key points:

  • In open embrace, followers should look at the leader's chest to see the lead. Of course, this assumes that leaders are leading from the chest...
  • So leaders, please ensure you lead from your chest. No "arm rowing".
  • Similarly, leaders, don't pull or push your partner into position. Align yourself correctly, and your follower will align herself to meet you. Of course, this assumes that followers are following the chest movements...

Close embrace

Key points:

  • Close is close - yes, it's intimate, but if you don't press against your partner, it doesn't work.
  • If you do it right, close embrace makes leading and following easier, because you have more contact.
  • Don't pull your partner into a close embrace - invite it, but don't force it.

More

Introducing ochos (pivots)

We briefly worked on leading ochos, by rotating the chest, pivoting your partner.

Can be useful to lead these from practice hold (sometimes, even with the leader's hands behind his back), to ensure that the leader leads explicitly from the chest (centre), rather than using the arms to lead.

I demonstrated how we can switch from forwards to back ochos and vice versa - by simply not pivoting the follower.

  • An ocho is a pivot, then a step - that's all.
  • But, the pivot needs to be done before the step...
  • Leading: Leaders must pivot their upper bodies; not the arms. Pivot, don't push or pull.

We'll cover ochos in more detail next week.

More

Related articles

- David Bailey, 7th September 2009